UFT Election 2022: Unity Caucus Theft of Service - District Reps are a Major culprit

UFT employees are paid with our dues. Using them in the election is theft of service. We have a right to attack. They retaliate when they attack UFC under the false accusations of theft of service during school time they are trying to foment a DOE investigation and are attacking the very members who pay dues.  

Sunday, April 17 --

First some good news from a source:

I have gotten a handful of surprising responses - 2 unity supporters voting our slate, 5 unity supporters who are splitting ballots. I have 7 retirees who have always voted unity voting the opposition for the first time.

Let's look at how the Unity machine cheats by using our dues to promote itself. District reps, fearing a UFC win which will make them run in an election, have been the biggest culprits. Fear of having to go back to the classroom if they lose if a motivating factor. 

• Have you ever heard of one Unity employee quiting to go back to teaching because they loved the classroom so much?

The other day I was stuffing mail boxes with United for Change literature and the chapter leader introduced himself as he was stuffing Unity literature. He is not a Unity member but a first year chapter leader -- "I have to do what I have to do," hse said somewhat apologetically. Why was he doing it then? Because he feels vulnerable and knows he will need the district rep who asked him to put the lit in the boxes. We had a nice conversation. He had spend his first year teaching under an awful legendary principal and knew and respected the chapter leader, whom I told him was running with UFC. I hope we get his vote even if he feels he has to pay fealty to his Unity DR.

Therein lies the major election corruption the UFT/Unity machine engages in during elections. Theft of service and misuse of the power dynamic. It is abuse of the system.

 

I'm not talking about Unity chapter leaders electioneering in their schools (though see the afterburn). UFC people are doing the same. hough there are a lot more Unity CLs than UFC. This gives them an advantage but it is up to the opposition to recruit enough people to counter that. These Unity people may be part-timers but that is not a factor as long as they are not doing electioneering on that time -- but who knows?

• One teacher reported going for a pension consultation and being emailed a Unity flyer by the consultant. A clear election violation.

The clearest violations are the use of full-time UFT employees through their power and influence to get the lit in every mailbox in the city. (Whether stuffing boxes is an effective vote getter is a subject for another time.) I find Unity leaflets in every school I go to.

Do non-Unity CLs feel obligated to stuff boxes? Hell yes. Many do. It is a blatant misuse of the power dynamic. In one district the DR called a chapter leader meeting and had a Unity CL hand out envelopes with Unity leaflets to every attendee with instructions to put them in the mailboxes.  At another DR sponsored Bronx event there were Unity leaflets on the tables. When a UFC person started to hand out leaflets the DR went ballistic and started screaming at her.

 

I also faced that dynamic when I became chapter leader with a hostile principal in 1994. The district rep was a nice guy who had been my chapter leader back in 1968. So we got along and even though I pushed back in many areas -- ie when he said he had to come to my school to sell the 1995 contract, I told him he couldn't have the entire meeting but we would debate.

The biggest impact of the Unity macbine using UFT resources may (if you believe lit helps) be felt in the elementary schools where most likely every single mailbox has been stuffed with Unity lit while UFC has not had enough resources to do the same. In every election there is a major gap in the elementary schools because the oppo is weakest. I think there are over 700 schools and Unity through it's District Reps has access to every one of them. 

Many elementary school teachers are not even aware of the election other than the Unity flyer they receive. If they open the ballot as opposed to putting it in the garbage can - and 75% do exactly that, they will see United for Change for the first time.

The voting totals in elementary schools will demonstrate the impact of campaigning in the schools. If UFC gets close to Unity totals that will teach us something - that the message got to peoeple through social media or word of mouth, But if the gap is as large as in the past the opposition starts reaching deeper into that division

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Afterburn - When Unity Cls actively work to keep out oppo lit -

Good  morning—

On Friday, April 8, I visited XXXXXX elementary school to distribute election-related flyers in UFT members’ mailboxes. 

The school safety official who greeted me was very courteous. She explained she had to check with someone before allowing me to distribute the flyers. She spoke by phone with the school’s UFT representative who denied my request. 

I am including in this correspondence the fellow UFT member who originally advised me in this matter.

 UPDATE from FB:

As a 7yr CL through 2 elections, I can absolutely attest that what you write was my experience. In fact at the District CL meetings Unity nomination forms would be passed around without explanation, and nonchalantly asked to all sign. In addition the DR always demanded to attend a chapter meeting at election time, pure electioneering. Plus I'd get several super expensive mailings from Unity people [like Elementary VP] requesting that their informational flyers get distributed. Again pure electioneering on UFT dime. Often self indulgent swag would be included. UFT labeled plastic sandwich holders. Cheap UFT labeled water bottles.  UFT labeled key chains, etc...--